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#342 From Sculptures to Pottery: The Artistic Journey of Adam Rush
51 Plays2 years ago
In this episode of 'Shaping Your Pottery', Nic Torres interviews Adam Rush, a sculptor turned potter, renowned for incorporating faces into functional pottery. Adam shares his journey from sculpting to pottery, inspired by a show called 'Great Pottery Throwdown'. He discusses the challenges he faced in mastering pottery, largely requiring him to learn the art of patience. Adam also introduces his technique of adding facial expressions to his creations and underlines the importance of authentic self-expression, urging artists not to remake themselves for others' approval. He touches upon his sources of inspiration, including the Martin Brothers and Auguste Rodin. Additionally, the conversation reveals that Adam's twin brother and his cerebral palsy condition have been significant factors propelling his art drive. Drawing from his personal experiences, Adam wraps up the interview by enlightening listeners about future plans to experiment with natural oxides and rustic materials. You can learn more about Adam by checking out his instagram @rushsculpture
Top 3 value bombs:
1. Adam emphasizes the importance of exploring your own unique voice and not reinventing yourself for the sake of others. Stay true to yourself and your passions in order to find your own distinct pottery style.
2. Patience is key in pottery. Adam learned to be patient through the process of working with clay and waiting for results. Embrace the journey and allow your ideas to naturally develop.
3. Love what you do and let go of the need for external validation. Adam encourages artists to not get in their own way and not attach themselves to confirmation bias. Create from your own universe and trust in your own artistic instincts.
Get your 53 Pottery themes by clicking this link shapingyourpottery.com/53themes
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Transcript
Adam's Artistic Beginnings
00:00:00
Speaker
We were so comfortable with each other to critique each other's work, though in a way I see it as like a gift.
00:00:08
Speaker
That was Adam Rush, a sculptor turned potter who loved to turn faces into functional potters. In this episode, you will learn how pottery allowed Adam to learn the skill of patience.
00:00:32
Speaker
Adam also gives some wonderful advice on how to find your own unique pottery world. Exploring your universe and exploring your way is your unique key and I feel that like it's not about reinventing yourself. Adam gives many more tips in this episode. Hope you guys enjoy it and I'll see you guys
Inspiration and Challenges
00:00:53
Speaker
in there. Adam, welcome to Shape Your Pottery and share with me what is something people might not know about you.
00:00:59
Speaker
a big thing online because I am well I don't really show my face much in my work and I don't really show me. I actually had something called CP so I have cerebral palsy mainly in my right leg and that's what basically drives me into art and that was my main source of I guess inspiration to what like what driven to me to certain artists that we're talking about today
00:01:27
Speaker
But yeah, that is one main thing that a lot of people don't know about me. I love that. Thank you for sharing that. So tell me the story, how you got started making pottery. I keep it simple. When I was watching a show called Break Pottery Throwdown, when it came out, I was thinking it was in season three when I started watching it. I talked to myself, how hard could it be? Sounds egotistical to say that.
00:01:55
Speaker
But I was a bit like, it's a challenge for me. So that's what basically got me into that direction. It was only like two years ago I started. It was mainly because as well that I felt stuck in my direction and I wanted to try something completely off topic to what I did because I was so used to doing sculpture. How I got into pottery. I love that. So when you when you started making pottery, did you find it to be as easy as you thought it was going to be? No, no.
00:02:24
Speaker
No, it's just more because my way of working is quite full on, like as in quit. So I love getting ideas down and just going with it as quickly as I can, because I believe in my journey that you can bring up natural ideas if you're not thinking about it. And with pottery, you have to have patience. And that was something that
00:02:50
Speaker
what we thought to me was to learn how to be more patient with things. So the answer to that is no. How did you learn to be more patient in pottery?
Lessons from Pottery
00:03:00
Speaker
I think it was more because I was so used to using, because I'm so used to using clay, but not in a sense where I build it up. Like when you throw, for example, when you build up the walls, you can't just be aggressive with it because you can stress the clay a lot.
00:03:18
Speaker
And I did have some idea for that as well, but it was mainly the throwing aspect that caused me to be more patient and also
00:03:26
Speaker
making slip of certain shapes as well slip cast of shape that also made you learn to be patient as well because it's not like I because I'm so used to I can quite faces in like 20 minutes like really easily but with silk as you've got paper and then you wait for that for 20 minutes and you don't see a result to a couple of hours not for me was how I learned to be a more bit more patient with my work
00:03:52
Speaker
I love that. Shaping Nation. Patience is the name of the game in pottery. The more patience you can be, the better pottery will be, and everything will just come out a lot better with your patience. I love that. So you contribute growth as an artist to your twin brother. Can you tell me more about this? You know, when I first heard that question, I thought it was always an interesting one, because I don't really ever think about it, because my brother is always there, in the sense that he's always speaking to me, always reflecting on ideas.
00:04:22
Speaker
He is a source of my inspiration because he is essentially another version of me. I do think that a twin connection is incredibly unique. Just for if this is for others, for people who don't know, I have a twin brother. His name is Stuart. He is a painter and illustrator and he does and he's at the moment pursuing doing tattooing. So it's quite a diverse like career path for me and him. Like we don't do the same thing.
00:04:51
Speaker
But anyway, back to the question, it really helps that we share the same experience. So when we were growing up, we did school and university together. And then the only change was when I moved away. So that was when we build our own lives. That's when we saw a big change between us. But the biggest thing was last year, we did two exhibitions together.
00:05:20
Speaker
and we didn't realise even though we've been living apart for quite a while now like not living in the same house for about eight years now we still have a similarity within our work it still shares the same topic and it still shares the same like it's it's more about the anxiety of things around us that's what our same share what our share of connection is so we're seeing it's weird even though we share
00:05:48
Speaker
we don't share the medium, our minds are still alike. Very interesting, I love that. So why do you think this has helped you with growing as an artist? Yeah, like I mentioned growing up, so for the first like 22 years that we've obviously shared together as infants and we basically lived and breathed the same environment. It helped that, especially that we're both artists, that we reflected upon each other with no judgment
00:06:18
Speaker
in it like as in like you wouldn't take a question of them is a bad thing so we were so comfortable with each other to critique other each other's work so in a way i see it's like a gift to have another mind like mine to observe my own work and that i would say when yeah growing with that as an artist i feel kind of lucky to have that i love that shaping nation if you get around other like-minded artists and other potters
00:06:48
Speaker
Your pottery will grow because you're able to get feedback from them. I love that. So let's talk about your sculptures. Can you tell me a story, how you started making the sculptures that you
Sculptural Influences
00:06:58
Speaker
make today? Yeah, so I started my sculpture journey about 10 years ago. I pursued it in art college. I wanted to basically explore my depth of creativity. I knew I was going to go into art from a young age. I was drawing and painting.
00:07:17
Speaker
ever since I was small so like I was drawing on beer mats when I was in pub when I was bored because my mum would want to go out to certain areas but we couldn't have a babysitter she wanted us there so but for the sculpture side I was about 19 when I was so lost in what I wanted to do I didn't know to do drawing or painting and one of the tutors at college suggested 3D
00:07:44
Speaker
And I was like, okay, why not give it a go? And he specifically named Clay. And I have to thank my tutor, Ian, for this, because he basically just sat me down and goes, just make a face. And I was like, all right, how hard can that be? Because I am stubborn with myself to learn it. And it just flew me off the handle ever since I've been obsessed with making them.
00:08:10
Speaker
and that was my journey from the past 10 years. So I've learned from anatomy books like Andrew Loomis, Bernard Hogarth, one of the other artists. Oh yeah, Bridgeman. So those are really good things that I've learned off. So it's mainly learning, it was clay, and then it was anatomy, and then it was learning structure, and then I am here, yeah, here we are today. Basically doing everything from imagination.
00:08:39
Speaker
How did learning about anatomy help you with your own sculptures? Like, it's a weird thing because people always in life drawing are taught the method where you just draw what's in front of you. And the way I was taught, like, yeah, that's correct. You can draw what's in front of you, but it becomes easier if you learn structure. And especially learning from Vernehoga, you get taught basic measurements and
00:09:09
Speaker
Yeah, so basic measures, let's just talk about face here, like you can easily split the face up into equal measurements through the eyes, the nose, the mouth, the forehead, basically. When you remember it, it basically sits into the background and it becomes just a natural ability to do it. And that's why I think it's important. It's like a tool, essentially. Like you use a knife, you don't think about the knife cutting into the butter, for example.
00:09:37
Speaker
like you're not literally thinking about is it going like how far you're going in, you just do it. And that's essentially what anatomy is. It's just a tool that you learn, and then it just goes into the background. And then you can feel you can be way more confident in what you do. I love that. That is some excellent advice for anybody looking to start sculpting more figurative work. I love that. Now, why do you enjoy making face sculptures?
00:10:04
Speaker
It's down to just easy to relate to people, the expressions that you can give the way it feels. I think that's why, yeah, it's just really simple to explain that. It's just, it relates to others easily. And I think that's my way of expressing unto the world what I experience in a moment. Why do you think it relates to people? It's simple, but a good question.
00:10:33
Speaker
I feel that because we naturally have a conversation with a face, I think it's easier to reflect upon us as human beings. It's easier to talk. It's a bit harder, for example, I made like a deer, unless someone loves deer. But it's an example where for me, I wouldn't relate as much. I guess it's my interpretation.
00:10:56
Speaker
a sense. So I choose faces because they always relate to and hoping that someone in my world would relate the same. I love that so much. That is such excellent advice right there. So now you are inspired by Martin Brothers and Rodin. Can you explain to me what this is? The Martin Brothers is originally in London
00:11:19
Speaker
the guys, they were a group of four or five account number, but they all specialised in certain things. Mainly the ones I focused on is the ceramic power pots that they made and the face drugs. They were recommended by someone actually, funny enough, when I went to try and get onto the pot we throw down, one of the interviewers mentioned them because they were like, oh, your work looks slightly like that.
00:11:45
Speaker
And that's what gave me more of an inspiration to be more playful with that. But yeah, they created mainly salt-fired pots with faces on or birds. That's what the most sought-after work of them is. And August Rodan is just someone that I was heavily inspired by because it was not that it was more representational because it is.
00:12:10
Speaker
It's more of the feel to it. It just feels like I have a, I guess, a personal connection to it in that sense, because I like the way he exaggerates things and exaggerates to an emotion. And that's what I like grasp onto. I want to create a depth to it, not just a representational form. I love I love hearing that scope. I feel like sculpture is such a fun thing to talk about. I love talking about it.
00:12:39
Speaker
So now can you briefly walk me through how you create your faces onto your pots? Yeah, sure. So a simple term, if I make like simple mug shapes or even a vase, I just throw them on a wheel, usually. Sometimes I hand build them. I dry out the vase with a hair dryer or heat gun, just so it can hold its structure so it doesn't collapse in on itself. And then I put the face directly on.
00:13:08
Speaker
A lot of people have questioned me about that. Does it morph to shape? Sometimes. But that doesn't bother me because I'm not. I don't like it when it's perfect. I love that. Shaping Nation, your pottery doesn't have to be perfect. If there's some blemishes in there, it's OK. You can leave them and your pottery doesn't have to be perfect. I love that.
Finding Personal Style
00:13:28
Speaker
So now let's talk about discovering your voice. Can you tell me about the moment when you knew you were heading in the right direction with your pottery?
00:13:35
Speaker
Yeah, I feel this topic is slightly controversial because obviously some people can have different views. The simplest thing I can say is don't get in your own way. I don't want to sound like a motivational coach when I say this, but the worst thing in your life is to get in your own way. And it's all about letting go of things like confirmation bias, for example. We're always looking for a justification for what we're doing.
00:14:05
Speaker
for me, that doesn't bring the truth out in you. So explore in your own universe and your way of doing things. Like, I feel that it's the unique key to finding your own unique voice. So it's like, it's a weird thing because you don't want to reinvent yourself for the sake of others. You want to keep a healthy dialogue within. So
00:14:31
Speaker
Although that wasn't really my question, I enjoyed that, but no worries. Can you tell me, when was the moment you knew you were heading in the right direction with your pottery? Okay, sorry, I apologize. Yeah, let me think about that quite a bit. It's a weird thing. When I was, because this was in a period where I was struggling to sell my work, and for me I felt like, should I go commercial? And unfortunately in this,
00:15:00
Speaker
world that we live in, especially because it's capitalism, we do have to make money. And I think that when I put a fake, like the first time I ever did it, because I've got actually an example of a pot somewhere, I just did a simple pot shape. And I was like, I just make a simple planter. And soon as I put my face on one, I was like, I can see myself doing this.
00:15:27
Speaker
And that was it for me. That's what I felt partly was for me. Like I wanted to challenge the idea of what ceramics was. What were you feeling when you came across this moment? I was excited. I was excited to see what was next. I love that. So what would you say was your biggest obstacle when it came to finding your own voice? Well, I'd pretty much say one big thing before.
00:15:57
Speaker
yet don't get in your own way. So yeah, like I said, I just didn't want to sound like motivational coach. The worst thing in your life you can do is to get in your own way. Yeah, you don't want to attach yourself to confirmation bias because we're always looking for justification for what we're doing. And for me, that doesn't bring the truth out in you. So exploring your universe and exploring your way
00:16:27
Speaker
is your unique key. And I feel that, like, it's not about reinventing yourself for the sake of others at all. It's about keeping in a healthy dialogue within. I love that shaping nation, you have to stay true to yourself in order to be able to find your own unique voice, but follow your passions, go down those routes. So you can find your unique party voice. I love that. Now, what is something you are doing to evolve your pottery even further?
Exploring Techniques
00:16:58
Speaker
At the moment, I'm going down a more natural route, so I want to experiment with more upsides and not the pre-made glazes. I mean, I will for my more commercial side, because obviously I want people to use them, because that's also a satisfying aspect of it, that people can actually willingly use your work. But I always have a soft spot for rustic and rough materials, and I feel that that is my way of complementing nature.
00:17:28
Speaker
and I feel that that will elevate my work. So these things like Pipfire and Sagafines that I think I'll be doing next. I love that. I'd love hearing about that.
Philosophy of Art
00:17:40
Speaker
Adam, it has been a great chat today and as we're coming to a close here, what is one thing you want to hammer home with my listeners today? I think I'll leave it with a quote.
00:17:48
Speaker
So, Berto Giamatti said, the object of art is not to reproduce reality, but it's to create reality of the same intensity. That's good. Would you mind expanding on that for me? I feel that, quite in your own interpretation, like, for example, like you can paint, there's obviously different movements. I'm not guessing the movements, but I'm just saying there's hypo realism.
00:18:17
Speaker
And you can paint it exactly how you see it. And for me, I feel that there is no drama to it unless the photograph is literally about some event or something emotional. I feel that if you reflect it in your own reality, in your experience and your way of life,
00:18:46
Speaker
touching the clay, it can have a certain movement to it. You're not doing it. For example, you're not looking at a picture and going, OK, I'm going to copy this. You're just going, you're just going to the flow. And I feel that that intensity comes with experience. I love that. That was some excellent parting words of advice. Adam, it was a great challenge today. Where can my listeners go learn more about you? Say again, sir.
00:19:15
Speaker
Where can my listeners go learn more about you? West Sculpture on Instagram. I do have a Pinterest as well, but that's more showcasing my guest studio more photos, I guess. But yeah, mainly Instagram. West Sculpture.
00:19:32
Speaker
Thanks for listening to this episode of Shaping Your Pottery. If you are struggling with finding your own theme for your pottery so that, you know, you are known for something, I put together 53 themes that you can use and you can take. All you have to do is go to shapingyourpottery.com or slash 53 themes. That's five three themes to get these 53 themes.
00:19:58
Speaker
It's really important for you to find a theme for your pottery so that you're not going to get burnt out. You can have multiple styles with your pottery and you can be known for something. So again, go to shapingyourpottery.com forward slash 53 themes. That's five three themes to get these 53 themes. Thanks, guys. I'll see you guys next time.